Confidence, Courage, and Compassion
A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. —Douglas MacArthur
Over the years I have read dozens of quotes about leadership, and I know that there are probably millions of them out there. But the one shown above has remained my favorite for quite some time. Why? Well, because it touches on what I feel are three of the most important aspects of leadership. We will call them the 3 C’s.
1. Confidence- A leader has to believe that they are capable of making change. If one does not 100% believe in themselves, their group, and their cause, then they need to reasses what it is they are doing. Confidence is key, but should not be associated with cockiness. A leader needs to believe that they can evoke change, not that they are the change.
2. Courage- Sometimes being a leader means having to make the final calls. Nevermind deciding what path is best for an entire group, I can barely decide what to eat for lunch most days. Having courage is about being able to make those decisions knowing that they might be wrong, but standing by them anyways.
3. Compassion- What is the point of change, if you haven’t considered how the change will effect other people? A leader can’t just go around changing everything that they want. It takes time, effort, and compassion. Analyzing what the change will mean for people both near and far is important. So is listening to others opinions about the best way to accomplish the change.
The remainder of the quote reminds me of the discussion we had in class about wanting to lead because of the title that comes with it. I feel that what Mr. MacArthur is trying to say is that leading to be a leader is not true leadership. One has to earn the right to be a leader by displaying their ability to be fair and equal and by demonstrating that they have honest intentions to help others meet their goals. But, like almost everything in life, it is open to interpretation, so what do you all make of this quote?